Wednesday, August 22, 2012

Iowa State Fair Photos

We had a booth at the Iowa State Fair this year in the Walnut Center building. Every year the building is filled with all Iowa artisans all with handcrafted unique items. Due to the absolutely beautiful weather, I spent several mornings just walking around the fairgrounds taking pictures. The days ( there were 11 of them ) were absolutely beautiful with bright, crisp, sunlit mornings that made you think of fall....just perfect for taking pictures. Here are just a few....

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Chair Gliders

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The Chair Gliders ticket booth was right next to "The Java House", which was where I happened to be almost every morning. The Gliders are so colorful and were usually full all day.

Beautiful flower beds abound all over the fairgrounds. And even though we have had a really hot and dry summer, the flowers were beautiful!

Food Booths

As you can see, the food was one of the main attractions! Just about anything you would want you could find....even a wonderful fresh cup of watermelon, grapes, and cantaloupe being cut up as you watched and cups filled to the brim! There was even a" Healthy Eating at the Fair" guide that you could pick up at the Information centers located all throughout the grounds.

Stoneware Pottery by Val Neumann

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Stoneware Pottery by Val Neumann is one of the artisans in our building at the Fair ( The Walnut Center ). She makes the most fantastic pottery! I keep adding to my collection every year. Her pottery can be found at the General Store in Main Amana, IA and also here at her website http://www.valneumann.com/

So it was a really fun two weeks at the Fair with good food ( along with coming home with a few extra pounds ), great weather, fantastic sales, and what a treat to meet up with old friends!

Friday, August 3, 2012

The application of a large vinyl to a wall can be a little daunting I realize. We did one awhile back in a large fellowship room of a church. It turned out really nice and actually went up rather smoothly.

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Measuring and Taping

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Before starting any vinyl application make sure your surface is clean and free of dust. The second thing is to measure, measure, measure! If you have a laser level you are set! They are a wonderful tool and really help in getting things straight. Measure down from the ceiling if possible and use a water based "Stabilo" pencil to mark your line. The line can be wiped off with a damp cloth when you are finished.
Then tape your design in place.

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Cutting your design into sections

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With a large design it really helps to cut it into smaller sections to make it easier to work with. Tape along the top of the design. Then cut horizontally into smaller sections. Make sure you have all the sections taped in place to the wall on either the top or bottom as shown in the next photo.

﻿So now you can start to work with your smaller sections as you would with any vinyl application. But as you can see, not having to deal with the whole design at one time really makes it go much easier and faster in the end.

Applying the design in sections

Finished Project

Your finished project will look very professional by using this method and you will be very happy with the results!! So get started and don't be afraid of a large vinyl!! Home is not a place....it is a Feeling vinyl decal can be found in our Etsy Shop at this link.